Chapter 76

Chapter 76

"It was truly an honor to meet you, Duke Balmuth."

I lowered my head deeply toward Kafka.

At that sight, Kafka burst into loud laughter and lifted me back up by the waist.

"Hey, there’s no need for all that. I was just lucky enough to be born into a good family and grow up comfortably, that’s all."

"No, that’s not true. I’m well aware of how great you are, Duke."

"Oh? Really? Then which part of me is so great? For example?"

"Mom, please. Don’t start this again……."

Lisa, wearing an expression full of embarrassment, tried to drag Kafka away, but Kafka didn’t budge an inch.

And I gave a faint smile.

‘I expected at least this much.’

A question that always came during the first meeting with Kafka.

I had been asked several times to explain her own achievements in detail.

So I naturally knew the model answer to it.

"Suppressing the rebellion in the northeastern Coris Kingdom of the continent, subjugating the Red Golem Dungeon, and the northern nomad expedition. That’s about what I know."

"Oh—what? Why do you actually know that? I was just saying it casually."

Kafka looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.

"As a swordsman myself, I’ve long heard much regarding the notable achievements of Duke Balmuth."

"Ooh… hey, Lisa. Your boyfriend’s good at socializing. He knows exactly how to flatter someone, doesn’t he?"

"Mom, please. Stop this……."

"Alright, alright. Anyway—Jason. You were here too."

"It has been a while, Duke Balmuth."

Jason greeted her with a relaxed smile, as if very used to this.

"Have you been well?"

"Of course I have. More importantly, Jason, I told you not to address me so formally unless it’s an official setting."

"Then… understood. Sister Kafka."

"Ah, yes, yes. I mean, looking on the outside, I still look like I’m in my prime……."

"Mom! Please!"

Lisa now shouted with a very red face.

She was as expressionless as always, but her eyes were trembling intensely.

"Jason! Just go! Hurry!"

"Mm, yeah. Alright. Then Sister Kafka, I hope you enjoy your time with your future son-in-law."

"Sure, thanks. Once I finish talking, I’ll come see you separately."

"Yes, understood."

"Hurry and go! And what do you mean future son-in-law……."

"Gideon, good luck."

Jason gave me one last comment, then left the garden immediately.

Just as fast, silently, like the wind—same as when he had arrived.

After Jason disappeared, I slowly opened my mouth while looking at Kafka.

"If you wish, I can step away as well. If it is something I should not hear……."

"No, you don’t need to go. I came all the way to this Academy to see you in the first place."

"I assumed as much."

Lisa looked at her mother with a completely incredulous gaze.

"I heard from Jason. You forced everyone who was supposed to come to the Academy to take vacation?"

"So you heard. Hey, but honestly, where else is there a noble like me? Handing out vacations like candy……."

"You do know that’s a type of power abuse, right?"

"Hey, abuse? It’s clearly within a duke’s authority."

Kafka sounded wronged.

Lisa only sighed.

"Haaa. Anyway—Mom. If you came here in place of those you sent on vacation, you realize you have to do their work, right?"

"Ah, right, right. I should. I almost forgot."

Kafka scratched her head as if it had only now occurred to her.

Seeing that, Lisa let out another sigh with an expression full of unspoken words.

"Then let’s finish quickly and talk more afterward. I have a lot I want to say to your boyfriend."

"How about finishing quickly and going right back? You must have piles of imperial ducal work waiting."

"Hey, it’s the weekend, okay? There’s no problem doing work after resting during the weekend. So I’m planning to stay at the Academy all day today."

"…All day?"

"Yes, all day. Spending time with you and Gideon, meeting Jason and Sara, greeting Her Highness the Princess… oh, Luke is here too, right? I should see him as well. And then greet the Headmaster after a long time… wow, this won’t fit into a single day, will it? If it comes down to it, I might even sleep here tonight and leave tomorrow……."

"Mom, please, I’m begging you. Please go back today. Please."

Lisa spoke with trembling eyes, and Kafka burst into laughter.

"Hey! Isn’t that too much? Hahaha. Still, your mom made time to come. But well, staying overnight would be too much. I’d feel bad for the servants who came with me."

"Right?"

"Yeah. So let’s finish what I have to do quickly and then hang out. Both of you, sit."

Kafka led Lisa and me to a nearby table and seated us.

Then she sat across from us, smiling cheerfully.

"I thought red hair and white hair wouldn’t match, but they surprisingly do. But white hair and red hair… hey, Lisa. What kind of theme should we go with for the engagement ceremony? I feel like we should try something new instead of the traditional Balmuth engagement……."

"Mom, please stop being ridiculous, please."

"Alright, alright. You haven’t thought that far yet, huh? Then let’s talk about it during the vacation. We’ll invite Gideon to our house then……."

"Mother."

"Okay, okay. Don’t glare at me like that. It’s scary."

Kafka cleared her throat and spoke in a somewhat more serious tone.

"Anyway, the reason I came here is… you two have had some notable achievements in the Academy recently, right? So the Imperial Family plans to award you two, but before that, there are things I need to confirm. I’ll ask a few questions, so answer honestly."

"Yes, understood."

"Then Gideon. On the day the monsters escaped from the enclosure, you…."

After that, Kafka continued with formal questions.

Most were about confirming the facts of the Monster Escape Episode and the School Trip Episode.

"So when Lisa became endangered because she couldn’t draw out her Blood Energy, Gideon appeared at just the right moment?"

"Yes, that’s correct."

"Oh my, how romantic. Lisa, you should treat your boyfriend well, you know?"

"…I would have without you saying it."

Lisa avoided my gaze as she replied to Kafka.

Kafka looked at her daughter with amusement, as if she found her adorable.

"Yes, I’m sure you’ll treat him extremely well. Our family tends to treat our lovers very well. Well, that’s something I can talk about later if there’s a chance… anyway, Gideon. I heard that you obtained Peregrie’s power……."

The questions continued.

And as I answered them, I could not help but be inwardly surprised.

‘She really knew everything.’

Kafka questioned me about the Monster Escape Episode and the School Trip Episode with such accuracy, as if she had seen both events herself.

If Kafka knew this much, then it meant the Imperial Family also possessed this level of information.

And naturally, the source of that information would have been the Hawkbat Family.

‘That family really can find out anything if they feel like it.’

I had expected it, but actually experiencing the extent of their information network left me surprised.

It seemed I would have to be careful from now on whenever I did something secretly, so that Jason wouldn’t notice.

‘But… the Imperial Family seems to know that I took Peregrie’s power, yet they’re not reacting specially.’

In the game, the player never absorbed Peregrie’s power.

So I had no particular knowledge regarding this.

However, since I knew the general tendencies of the Imperial Family, I tried to make a guess based on that……

‘They’re probably choosing to observe for now. The Imperial Family likely doesn’t know much about Peregrie’s power either.’

Peregrie had disappeared hundreds of years ago.

The Imperial Family wouldn’t have concrete information about Peregrie, nor about the power Peregrie passed on to me.

‘They’ll watch how I use Peregrie’s power first… and if they deem it too strong or dangerous, that’s when they’ll step in.’

In any case, the conclusion was… having inherited Peregrie’s power meant there was a high chance I had become an object of interest for the Imperial Family.

So it would be wise not to provoke them unnecessarily.

While I was reaching my own conclusion internally—

"Mm, I asked this already. And this one, I can talk about separately with Lisa… okay, done. Fact-checking is all finished."

"Then you’re done, right? You’re going back now?"

"…Daughter. Do you really want to chase me away that badly?"

"Yes."

At Lisa’s immediate reply, Kafka reacted as though deeply wounded.

"Aren’t you answering too sharply? Your mom is hurt, you know."

"Because you keep saying weird things to Gideon. Anyway, do you have anything else to do?"

"There’s one thing left. And that is… a character test!"

At Kafka’s words, Lisa tilted her head, but I nodded.

I had experienced this in the game, so I knew it well.

"It’s an award from none other than the Imperial Family. If someone receiving an Imperial award turns out to be a troublemaker or later becomes a criminal, it causes problems for the Imperial Family too. So they said it’s necessary to check the recipient’s character."

"Ah, really? Gideon, did you know about that?"

"Yes, I’ve heard of it."

Lisa nodded and looked at Kafka.

"I see. Then Mom, how do you perform that test?"

"First of all, Lisa, you won’t take it. You’re my daughter whom I know best—there’s no need to test you."

With those words, Kafka turned her gaze toward me.

"So Gideon, only you will take the test."

"Understood. What must I do?"

"Normally, the people sent from the Imperial Family would ask a series of questions, but not me. I don’t assess a person’s character using such trivial methods. The best way to grasp a person is still… to clash with them through skill."

"I think that’s a reasonable philosophy."

I glanced at the greatsword Kafka carried on her back.

Like Lisa’s, Kafka’s greatsword also carried a red hue.

Even Lisa’s strike alone was difficult to withstand—so how was I supposed to deal with a sword wielded by the head of the Balmuth Family?

"Hahahaha! Hey, Gideon. Why are you staring at my greatsword?"

"Ah? That is……."

"Don’t tell me you thought I was about to challenge you to a duel right now?"

"…Am I wrong?"

I tilted my head.

Based on my experience—and based on Kafka’s personality—normally after such a statement she would indeed draw her sword.

"Well, yes. Normally, I would have. Come to think of it, Lisa, you did the same, right? During the Disciplinary Committee entrance test—making the juniors try to block your strike……."

"How do you even know about that?"

"Andrew told me."

"…As expected, there really is nothing that man doesn’t know."

"He didn’t become leader of the Hawkbat bunch for nothing."

After responding to Lisa, Kafka looked at me again.

"Anyway, Gideon. I’ve prepared something special to assess who you are."

Kafka reached for the bag she had brought.

It was the same bag she had since arriving in the garden, and from inside it came something quite unexpected.

"Gideon, you know how to play chess, right?"

A chessboard.

“…‘Yes, I know how, but I’m not particularly good."

"It’s fine, it’s fine. It doesn’t matter whether you’re good or not. Just focus wholeheartedly on the game—that’s enough."

Kafka set the chessboard on the table and began arranging the pieces.

The situation was so random that I couldn’t help tilting my head.

Certainly, in the setting of this world, chess was a mainstream board game.

Nobles played it often for socializing, and in the game, you could even play chess against certain NPCs.

But even so, Kafka suggesting chess out of nowhere was truly unexpected.

‘What is this?’

I tilted my head and subtly glanced at Lisa beside me.

She met my eyes and tilted her head as well.

It seemed she also couldn’t understand her mother’s behavior.

"Alright, Gideon. We’re ready. Let’s begin."

"Yes, understood."

I had no idea what was going on, but since I knew the rules of chess, I decided to play along.

However… these chess pieces… something about them looked a bit strange……

"Ah, before we start, I should tell you a rule unique to this chess set."

"What is it?"

"Under each piece, there’s a question written. Mine have questions, and so do yours."

"Ah, I see?"

I tried to flip a piece over to check, but Kafka grabbed my hand to stop me.

"Don’t look now. When you lose a piece, you check the question underneath it and answer honestly. Got it?"

"Yes, understood."

What kind of situation was this?

No matter how hard I searched my memories, I had never played chess with Kafka using such bizarre rules.

While I tried to figure out what was happening, the chess game began.

And not long after, I lost a pawn.

"You lost one. Now read the question underneath and answer."

"Yes, understood. Let’s see……."

I flipped the pawn.

Small letters were written beneath it, and they read:

"Three… attractive things… about Lisa? Uh… yes? What is this?"

"You read the question clearly. Now you just need to answer."

Kafka was trying hard not to laugh. While I sat stunned at the ridiculous question, Lisa shot to her feet and shouted.

"Mom! What are you doing?!"

"What else? A character test. A. Character. Test."

Looking at her daughter whose face had turned bright red, Kafka flashed a sly smile.